Wet mop



P 1942. v s. WALLACE 2,294,943

WET MOP Filed June 3, 1938 Patented Sept. 8, 1942 Stanley Wallace, Chicago; Ill., assignor to Sears,

Roebuck and 00., Chicago, 111., a corporation of New York Application June s, 1938, Serial No. 211,499

Claims. gel. 1541 9) This invention relates to mops and is concerned more particularly with a mop support.

It is an object of the invention to provide a mop support construction by means of which the relative movement of two parts is effective to wring a mop head and return it to operative position.

It is another object to provide a mop holder by means of which water may be squeezed out of a mop head without the necessity of wetting the hands.

It is also an object to provide a device which,-

by simple re'ciprocatory movements or one member, will wring a mop head and return it to oper'ative position.

Another object involves the provision or a mop holder automatically operative to wring mops of different thicknesses.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

The invention will be understood upon reference to the accompanying drawingin which: 7 Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan view of a mop constructed in accordance with my invention,

taken as indicated by the line ll in Fig. 2;-

Fig. 2 is a fragmentarysectional view taken as indicated by the line 22 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a View similar to Fig.-- 2 but with the mop head fully wrung and the wringer rollers apart; I

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the line 44 in Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken as indicated by the line 5--5 in Fig. 2; a

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken as indicated by the line 6-6 in Fig. 2.

Referring more particularly to the drawing, which illustrates one form of the invention, I provide a mop handle In to the lower end of which is secured a stem l l of a bracket l2 having at its end a yoke providing ears l3 bridged by a pin or rivet l4. A front frame l1, preferably of spring wire, has a straight portion I8 extending transverse to the handle and adapted to be looped to one end IQ of a mop head 20, said portion having an eye 22 at its free end for receiving a hook 23 at the other free end of the 'wire. The wire extends parallel to said portion inwardly a substantial distance from the ends thereof as shown at 24, the mop substantially filling the intervening space. The parts 24 are joined to a U-shaped portion 26 coiled about the pin l4 and extending rearwardly thereof as shown at 21. The portion 18 may be sprung oif the hook 23 and the mop head slipped 01f the same.

Theears l3'extend below thepin' I4 and serve as bearings fora pin 29 carrying a res'ilientrub ber Wringerrol-ler 30 comprising roller sections between andbeyond said ears.

5 The stem l I has aset of ears 32 bridged by a rivet 33.v A bottom 'wringer frame 35 of sub stantially U-shape has its arms 36 formed to receive a pin 3'! extending through a resilient rub- -ber wringer roller 38 substantially co-extensivel lo 'with and parallel to .the roller 3!] and has its bight 40 formed with spaced ears 4| and an intervening ratchet 42 'pivotally connected to the.

bracket l2 by the rivet 33. V

The stem ll affords a socket 44 housing a lo spring 45 enga edge of the ratchet '42 about a lug 46 and urging the roller 38 away from the roller 30. A spring pawl 41 anchored at 49 to the rivet l4 and guided by a kink'50 in the portion 21 is urged downward into engagement zo with-the ratchet 42; When the pawl is engaged in one of the notches 52 in the ratchet, the roller 38 is held in operative position, as shownin Fig.

2. A plurality of notches is preferably provided to adapt the mechanism to mop heads of difierent 25 thicknesses, the rollers being :also yieldable for this purpose.

Slidably mounted on the handle [0 is a sleeve 55 having a forward extension 56- in which a kink 51 in a rear spring wire frame 59 is crimped.

30 From the kink 51 the frame 59 extends on opposite sides somewhat beyond the ends of the bight 40 and is bent inwardly providing abutments 60. The frame 59 terminates adjacent one of said abutments in a hook BI and, after extending 5 transversely as at 63 from the other abutment,

terminates in an eye 64 sprung on said hook.

The portion 63 is adaptedto be looped through the end 65 of the mop head 20.

Assuming the parts to be operatively connected 40 as shown in Fig. 2 and it is desired to wring the mop head, it is necessary merely to withdraw the sleeve 55 rearwardly along the handle I 0 until substantially the full length of the mop head has been wrung, and suificiently to exert a pull 45 transmitted .by the mop head to the front frame I! so as to jerk the same. The frame ll serves as a trigger, tripping the pawl 41 so as to release the ratchet 42, whereupon the spring 45 swings the roller 38 substantially to the inoperative position shown in Fig. 3. I r

Only a momentary tug is needed to trip the V paw1 41, and, the latter then engages the lug fil on the ratchet to limit the releasing movement of the ratchet. 7 It will be observed that the trip- [ping movement of the pawl is so limited by the bracket 12 and the ratchet is so arranged relative to the bracket 12 that said pawl in any event will engage said lug and limit releasing movement of the ratchet.

The resulting space 68 between the rollers 38 and 38 will allow the wrung mop head to be moved in the space 68 between the rollers to its operative position. When the return of the mop head is complete or nearly so, the final return movement of the sleeve 55 causes the abutments 60 to engage the arms 35 and force the frame 35 to swing counter-clockwise against the action of the spring 45, until the roller 38 is in operative position (Fig. 2), the pawl 41 dropping into the appropriate ratchet notch 52 to maintain the desired adjustment.

Thus it is seen that when the sleeve is moved in one direction the mop head is automatically wrung and then released for its return between the rollers, and when the sleeve is moved in the opposite direction, the mop head and roller 38 automatically return to operative position.

The construction may be made economically of a few simple rugged parts: which require no machining and which are so interrelated as to be readily accessible for attention.

Various modifications coming within the spirit of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art, and hence I do not wish to be limited to the specific form shown or uses mentionecl, except to the extent indicated in the appended claims, which are to be interpreted as broadly as the state of the art will permit,

I claim:

1. In a mop construction comprising relatively movable rollers, means for retaining the rollers in cooperative relation to each other, means operable to render said retaining means inoperative, a spring operative to move one of said rollers away from the other roller when said retaining means is inoperative, and means for moving said one roller against the action of said spring into cooperative relation to said other roller, said moving means being operative at the end of said movement of said one roller to render said retaining means operative.

2. A mop construction comprising relatively movable rollers, a spring operative to urge one of said rollers away from the other roller, means for moving said one roller against the action of said spring into juxtaposition to said other roller, means for retaining said one roller in said position, and a mop head connected to each of said means, the first-mentioned means being movable to wring said mop head between said roller and operative through the second-mentioned means to release said spring for separating said rollers.

3. A mop construction comprising relatively movable rollers, means for holding said rollers in adjusted relations to each other to accommodate therebetween mop heads of differentthicknesses, said means comprising a ratchet member acted upon by a spring to increase the distance between said rollers and a pawl associated with said ratchet member to releasably prevent such increase, means operative against the action of said spring for decreasing said distance to the desired extent, a mop head connected to said distance-decreasing means, and means connecting said mop head to said pawl, said distance-decreasing means being operative through said mop head and connecting means to trip said pawlto enable said spring to increase the distance between said rollers.

4. A mop construction comprising relatively movable wringer rollers, a mop head extending between said rollers, relatively movable members connected to the ends of said head, a spring operative upon one of said rollers to hold it away from the other roller, a pawl operative against the action of said spring for holding said one roller in wringing relation to the other roller, one of said members being movable in one direction to wring said mop head between the juxtaposed rollers and, upon completion of said movement, to trip said pawl, allowing the spring to separate said rollers, said one member being movable in the opposite direction to pass said mop head between the separated rollers, and means on said one member operative at substantially the completion of its return movement to move said one roller into wringing relation to said other roller, said pawl securing said one roller in said relation.

5. A mop construction comprising a relatively stationary roller and a relativelymovable roller, a springoperative to urge said movable roller away from said stationary roller, means for moving said movable roller against the action of said spring into juxtaposition to the stationary roller, means for retaining said movable roller in'said position, and a mop head connected to each of movable to wring said mop between said rollers and operative through the second-mentioned means to release said spring for separating said rollers.

6. A mop construction comprising stationary and movable rollers, means for holding said movable roller in adjusted relations to the stationary roller to accommodate therebetween mop heads of different thicknesses, said means comprising a ratchet member acted upon by a spring to move said movable roller away from said stationary roller and a pawl associated with said ratchet member to prevent movement of said movable roller by said spring, means for moving said movable roller. against the action of said spring 'to the desired position of adjustment, and a mop head connected to'the last-mentioned meansand said pawl, said last-'mentioned means being operative through said mop head to tripsaid pawl to enable said spring to move said movable roller away from said stationary roller.

7. In a mop construction comprising a pair .of rollers, means mounting one of said rollers, for

movement relative to the other roller, a spring urging said one roller out of cooperative relation to said other roller, means opposing said spring for releasably retaining said one roller in cooper,- ative relation to said other roller, means for tripping said retaining means to enable said spring to separate said rollers, and means cooperating with said tripping means for, positively limiting the separating movement of said one roller.

8. A'mop construction comprising relatively movable wringer rollers, a front mop head frame, a rear mop head frame, a mop head extending between said rollers and having its ends connected to said frames, a spring operative upon oneof said rollers tohold it away from the other roller, a pawl operative against the action of said spring for holding saidone roller in wringing. relation to said other roller, said rear frame being retractable to wring said mop head between the juxtaposed rollers and, upon completion of' said movement, to trip said pawl, allowing the spring to separate said'rollers, said rear frame being movable to pass said mop head forwardly between the separated rollers, andmeans on saidrear frame operative at substantially the completion of its return movement to move said one roller into wringing relation to said other roller, said pawl securing said one roller in said relation.

9. A mop construction comprising a support, a wringing roller mounted thereon, a second support movably mounted on the first support, a wringing roller mounted on the second support, said rollers being relatively movable laterally toward and away from each other as said supports approach and recede from each other, means cooperating with said supports for releasably retaining said rollers selectively adjacent and remote from each other, said means including a spring operative to urge the second-mentioned roller away from the first-mentioned roller, means for moving said second-mentioned roller toward said first-mentioned roller against the resistance of said spring, and means including said moving means for rendering said spring efiective to brin about relative separative movement of said rollers.

10. A mop construction comprising a support, a wringing roller mounted thereon, a second support movably mounted on the first support, a wringing roller mounted on the second support, said rollers being relatively movable laterally toward and away from each other as said supports approach and recede from each other, means cooperating With said supports for releasably retaining said rollers selectively adjacent and remote from each other, said means including a spring operative to urge the second-mentioned roller away from the first-mentioned roller, means for moving said second mentioned roller toward said first-mentioned roller against the resistance of said spring, and a mop head cooperative with said moving means and said retaining means.

STANLEY WALLACE. 

